Del Birkey on Renewal
An excerpt from a great book by Del Birkey entitled "The House Church":
The human tendency is to become enamored with debilitating and devitalizing enculturations. Thus, each local church ought purposely to make an enormous effort to restore truly biblical priorities and values to the life of the church. The goal of this effort is to experience the joy of renewed life together. A careful analysis and deliberate commitment to those essential New Testament principles of body life is a good starting place for anticipating renewal.
First, the church must become in practice what it is, an organismic body which lives out its life in a counterculture community of faith. The New Testament features a church which is a distinct body of people, a new humanity, a new race, brought into existence by a new and supernatural creation. As such, the church becomes a new community in tension with its culture at fundamental points while having similarity at the same time.
As the body of Christ, it can affirm anew Christ’s headship in his absolute sovereignty as Lord of creation as well as culture. Armed with the gospel which can serve as the destroyer, preserver, and creator of culture, the church can again experience the normal vitality that results from being united with Christ’s resurrection.
Second, the church should embrace its primary reason for its existence inherent in its gathering together. The church is ekklesia. God’s people are not merely “called out from.” More specifically, the church is that group which “assembles together for” worship and service. The hallmark of the early church’s assembling together was the presence of the living Lord in their midst. This was true even when only two or three gathered for the celebration of his supreme worthiness (Matt. 18:20).
These facts translate into a divine call for every assembly to achieve radical authenticity, reflecting an authentic expression of Christ’s body. In the New Testament, one finds authenticity as the norm, not highly developed structures or liturgies. In view of this, formalities and structures which inhibit the free and participatory worship of the whole assembly are suspect.
Third, the church’s ministry must become grounded in the priesthood of all believers so everyone can contribute his or her share in the work of the ministry. In the restoration of corporate giftedness, the gifts of the Spirit enable every member’s work of ministry. Ministry is not solely the responsibility of a minority of the elite. The happy result intended will be that every part is working properly for the edification of the whole body. (See Eph. 4:15-16)
Fourth, the church must model servant leadership of both men and women to achieve true greatness. Greatness, as define by the Lord, is being a “servant to the servants” (Matt. 20:26-28). Leadership concepts based on a positional model must give way to a relational model. This in turn will renew the leadership and allow the affirmation and full potential of ministering women. Secular behavioristic models which induce, motivate, and congratulate appropriate behavior must give way to the dynamic modeling message of the Master-Servant, whose followers are intent on becoming servants to the servants.
In summary, the recovery of essential New Testament principles will be the first intention of the renewalist. Renewal is a dynamic spiritual force encompassing both the individual’s personal life and corporate community life. The renewalist will maintain a high view of biblical authority coupled with a holistic perspective.
Furthermore, one cannot ignore the New Testament documents which characterize those early house churches in any genuine quest for renewal. They may, in fact, contain the insights for striking the balance between a strong revelational theology and a vital relational theology. They may also encourage the establishing of an alternative model for church revitalization.
The human tendency is to become enamored with debilitating and devitalizing enculturations. Thus, each local church ought purposely to make an enormous effort to restore truly biblical priorities and values to the life of the church. The goal of this effort is to experience the joy of renewed life together. A careful analysis and deliberate commitment to those essential New Testament principles of body life is a good starting place for anticipating renewal.
First, the church must become in practice what it is, an organismic body which lives out its life in a counterculture community of faith. The New Testament features a church which is a distinct body of people, a new humanity, a new race, brought into existence by a new and supernatural creation. As such, the church becomes a new community in tension with its culture at fundamental points while having similarity at the same time.
As the body of Christ, it can affirm anew Christ’s headship in his absolute sovereignty as Lord of creation as well as culture. Armed with the gospel which can serve as the destroyer, preserver, and creator of culture, the church can again experience the normal vitality that results from being united with Christ’s resurrection.
Second, the church should embrace its primary reason for its existence inherent in its gathering together. The church is ekklesia. God’s people are not merely “called out from.” More specifically, the church is that group which “assembles together for” worship and service. The hallmark of the early church’s assembling together was the presence of the living Lord in their midst. This was true even when only two or three gathered for the celebration of his supreme worthiness (Matt. 18:20).
These facts translate into a divine call for every assembly to achieve radical authenticity, reflecting an authentic expression of Christ’s body. In the New Testament, one finds authenticity as the norm, not highly developed structures or liturgies. In view of this, formalities and structures which inhibit the free and participatory worship of the whole assembly are suspect.
Third, the church’s ministry must become grounded in the priesthood of all believers so everyone can contribute his or her share in the work of the ministry. In the restoration of corporate giftedness, the gifts of the Spirit enable every member’s work of ministry. Ministry is not solely the responsibility of a minority of the elite. The happy result intended will be that every part is working properly for the edification of the whole body. (See Eph. 4:15-16)
Fourth, the church must model servant leadership of both men and women to achieve true greatness. Greatness, as define by the Lord, is being a “servant to the servants” (Matt. 20:26-28). Leadership concepts based on a positional model must give way to a relational model. This in turn will renew the leadership and allow the affirmation and full potential of ministering women. Secular behavioristic models which induce, motivate, and congratulate appropriate behavior must give way to the dynamic modeling message of the Master-Servant, whose followers are intent on becoming servants to the servants.
In summary, the recovery of essential New Testament principles will be the first intention of the renewalist. Renewal is a dynamic spiritual force encompassing both the individual’s personal life and corporate community life. The renewalist will maintain a high view of biblical authority coupled with a holistic perspective.
Furthermore, one cannot ignore the New Testament documents which characterize those early house churches in any genuine quest for renewal. They may, in fact, contain the insights for striking the balance between a strong revelational theology and a vital relational theology. They may also encourage the establishing of an alternative model for church revitalization.
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